If only he would live.
Later that day, as the afternoon sun blazed through the thick green glass of the hospital windows and the unsteady whoosh of Gabriel’s sleeping breath whispered next to her, she began a letter to Lydia. She would tellher the full truth, someday. But for now, all Lydia needed to know was that her sister and her sister’s husband were alive.
Clarence swung through the door and lifted Gabriel’s wrist to check his pulse, then gently began to palpate his abdomen.
“Lydia told me to ask after you in her last letter,” Eliza said, lifting her pen from the paper. “I’m writing to her now. What should I say?”
Clarence smiled, brightening at the mention of Lydia’s name. “Tell her my heart is steadfast, and that I look forward to the day when she rejoins me in our work. Tell her she’s the brightest and most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and the finest nurse I have ever worked with. There’s more I could say, but I don’t suppose you’ll have room for it in your letter.”
“She’ll be glad to hear all of it.” Eliza smiled. “She’s studying at Charity in New Orleans. They have a well-regarded surgical program. One of the best in the world, in fact. Lydia is just as anxious to return as you are to have her, I believe. And I am anxious to gain a new brother.”
“Yes. Very good, very good.” Clarence coughed roughly into his sleeve, but not before Eliza saw the faint glimmer in his eyes. She turned back to her writing to spare Clarence the embarrassment of having seen his tears. She wrote,Clarence misses you. I miss you. On your return, we’ll redecorate an entire wing of Sherbourne House for the two of you. You’ll want your peace and quiet ... because you’re going to be an aunt, Lyddie! Malcolm and I are expecting. The house might be smaller, with all of us in it, but things are turning out just how you wanted, all the same.
Eliza was walking back from mailing Lydia’s letter when she saw a man in a derby hat go through the doors of the hospital. There was something familiar about his face, as if she’d seen him somewhere before. Could it be? She picked up her step.
When she pushed through the doors to the recovery ward, the man was standing over Gabriel, his hat in hand. He took Gabriel’s hand in his own and kissed it, silent tears rolling down his cheeks. Eliza cleared her throat.
The man turned, hastily wiping his eyes.
“Oh, sorry. Hello. You must be Eliza.”
“I am.”
“You don’t know who I am, do you?” He offered a tentative smile—one tinged with the kind of sadness she’d once seen in a portrait.
Ada’s portrait.
Eliza drew in a sharp breath. Her heart gave a kick. “No ... I think I do.”
CHAPTER 47
“I know—it’s rather a lot to take in, isn’t it?”
Eliza gave a nervous laugh. “I’m at a loss for words, my la ...”
“It’s Matthew, m’lady. Just Matthew.”
Eliza laughed again and ran her hands over the slippery borrowed taffeta covering her arms, not sure where to look. “Ah. The mysterious Matthew.”
“So you’ve heard of me, then.” He peered at her through dark lashes, fringing a pair of violently green eyes. “I’m sure you’ll have lots of questions, darling, so we’ll get on with it. Do you mind if I smoke?”
“Of course not.”
He sat next to Gabriel’s cot and took a pipe out of his striped waistcoat, packed it with tobacco, and lit it with a match, drawing air into the bowl through his lips. There were a few lines around the edges of his otherwise youthful face, and his dark hair was streaked with shimmering lines of gray, but he was so much like Malcolm and Gabriel in manner it was uncanny. He even crossed his legs in the same way Malcolm had, placing right over left as he slouched in the chair by Gabriel’s bed.
Eliza drew up another chair. “I can ask you anything? Even the tricky things?”
“Don’t be bashful.” He gestured toward the window. “I’m used to questions and I’ve heard all their rumors already, I assure you.”
“I’ll start with the worst, then. People implied incest—that you became Malcolm’s lover.”
Matthew smiled wistfully. “Peoplebeing Una?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, that girl is a fair piece of work. I promise you, my lady, I never took carnal liberties with my own sons. The very thought disgusts me.”
“I didn’t think you would. But why would she say such a thing?”
